Football: Crocked Gerrard out for 10 weeks

by JOHN EDWARDS, Daily Mail

Steven Gerrard will definitely miss the key World Cup qualifier in Germany and could still be working his way back to fitness when the Champions League group games start.

That was the grim news for England and Liverpool yesterday as Anfield boss Gerard Houllier was forced to revise his original estimate of a three-week absence for the midfielder, who suffered ligament damage on the training ground on Monday.

Houllier admitted that Gerrard will almost certainly be ordered to rest for at least six weeks when he has a scan tomorrow.

With the 21-year-old then facing anything up to a further month to build up his match fitness, he will miss England's trip to Munich on September 1 and struggle to make the opening phase of the Champions League in mid-September, should Liverpool safely negotiate next month's qualifier.

Houllier said: 'We now believe it will be between four and six weeks before Steven can play again. Even when the injury does heal and he is able to return to training, he will be some way behind the rest of the players in terms of fitness.'

No other player was near Gerrard at Liverpool's training camp in Switzerland when he turned his ankle and collapsed in agony.

It is a big blow to Liverpool, who face a daunting start to the season with a Champions League qualifier over two legs, a Charity Shield showpiece with Manchester United, a Super Cup one-off against Bayern Munich in Monaco and the Premiership launch in mid-August. The player could even miss the derby at Everton on September 15.

Liverpool have declined a chance to buy Feyenoord's Poland goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, who missed out on a move to Arsenal, and Houllier made it clear that Coventry's Chris Kirkland is his choice to challenge Sander Westerveld.

Dudek, who lost out at Highbury to Ipswich's Richard Wright, said: 'When I heard Wright had signed, it took me a full day to recover. I'm glad I have a house in Poland because I went and worked out all my disappointment on it. I know that Arsene Wenger really wants me and I was his No.1 choice. That gave me support in those difficult days.'